Ambition, madness, blood, humiliation, clashing egos—all loomed larger than life as two of Shakespeare’s works were brought to life during the fourth annual Georgetown Shakespeare Festival. The traveling troupe of the American Shakespeare Center played to a full house at its matinee performance of Macbeth on February 2 while a record crowd enjoyed the evening performance of The Taming of the Shrew on February 3. Both plays were performed at the historic Winyah Auditorium. The Georgetown Shakespeare Festival is organized each year by our school with the help of generous sponsors.

The American Shakespeare Center sets itself apart by staging Shakespeare’s plays the same way Shakespeare or any other Elizabethan director would have. Actors play several roles in a single play, with men often taking the parts of women and vice versa. Because the stage and seating area are both lit, players and spectators can see each other. Seats up on the stage allow actors to interact with audience members. Live music accompanies all productions.

Close to 300 area students watched enthralled as Macbeth (Calder Schilling) allowed himself to be tempted by his wife and his own ambition into killing King Duncan (Ronald Román-Meléndez), then into committing even greater crimes. The prophecies of the Weird Sisters (Hilary Aleca Caldwell, Kyle Powell, Annabelle Rollinson) and the Ghost of Banquo (Josh Clark) mesmerized the students. “The witches gave me chills,” said Sydni.  Many students gave Macbeth kudos on social media.

“The ASC’s talent is amazing,” said Shannon Lewis, former colleague of TGS faculty and now an English teacher at Myrtle Beach Middle School.  “What an incredible opportunity for our students to enjoy live theatre.  Macbeth is a standard in the high school curriculum so it was great for our students to see the play as it was meant to be seen.” Lewis was there with 105 MBMS students. She and several other MBMS teachers have brought well over 400 middle school English students to the Georgetown Shakespeare Festival since 2015.

Sandra Perry, teacher at Francis Wardlaw Academy, brought 14 students all the way from Edgefield to see Macbeth. “One of our young men lives almost an hour from the school so he had to rise at 4:30 am,” she said. “But he said he would do it again.” Perry hopes to generate enough interest in her students for an overnight stay in Georgetown next year.

“We are very privileged to be able to partner with the ASC,” said Dr. Gates. “Every year our kids look forward to their arrival. Live theatre of this caliber usually only happens in big cities but the ASC has been bringing the magic to Georgetown for four years now.”

On Friday evening, there was a special showing of Cole Porter’s and George Sidney’s musical “Kiss Me Kate” the Strand Cinema on Front Street. “Kiss Me Kate” (1953) is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew and features funny songs and lots of tap-dancing. We were so glad to partner with the Strand for this warm-up to the ASC’s The Taming of the Shrew.

The audience at The Taming of the Shrew enjoyed a half hour pre-show of live and unplugged music performed by the actors on various instruments. Then the ASC players came back on stage for the main event–a riveting comedic performance of Shakespeare’s famous battle of the sexes. The chemistry and awakening affection between Kate (Annabelle Rollinson) and Petruchio (Ronald Román-Meléndez) was very authentic, despite their outward behavior towards each other. The audience was able come to terms with Kate’s submission to her new husband. ASC players received a standing ovation, then mingled with members of the audience to answer questions and take pictures out in the hall.

On Saturday during the day, the ASC also hosted two educational workshops for students at The Georgetown School and interested members of the public. In “Sound Effects in Macbeth,” Thomas Coppola and Ally Farzetto led an exploration of the various instruments used to create the sounds of storm and battle for that play, such as the thunder-sheet and drums. A percussion instrument called the water phone provided the haunting ethereal music for the Weird Sisters’ and Banquo’s apparition. The participants tried their hand at playing the instruments and reading scary passages to create dramatic effects.

“It takes one hour of practice to create ten seconds of fighting on stage,” the ASC’s Josh Clark told students at the beginning of the “Stage Combat” workshop. He and fellow actor Kyle Powell explained the three principles of fighting on stage: safety, believability, and storytelling. Participants enthusiastically paired up with each other, learning how to create realistic stage punches and slaps in slow motion. They learned that the “victims” are as important as the “attackers” because they are in charge of reacting at the right time and making the sound. “Always make eye contact before you throw your punch,” Powell instructed. “Pay attention to the cues.”

The Georgetown Shakespeare Festival ended on February 7 with a talk for students and the general public by Richard Willis, a practicing attorney in Columbia, professor of law at USC, and Shakespeare scholar. Willis spoke at Open Forum about Shakespeare’s power to stimulate our imaginations and our empathy for others. Willis was impressed at the number of plays TGS students had already seen. “You guys know more about Shakespeare than any other audience I’ve talked to lately,” he told the students. “Good job!”

Willis was also the featured speaker at a Continuing Legal Education seminar on “Shakespeare and the Law,” organized by local attorney and TGS mom Elizabeth Attias for about 25 participants, also on February 7.  “Shakespeare loved lawyers,” said Willis. “He put trials in 18 out of 37 of his plays. Why? Because trials are conflict and audiences love good conflict.” Willis’ presentation “The Trial of Hamlet for the Murder of Polonius” featured live acting by several TGS students.

“The American Shakespeare Center will definitely headline our Shakespeare Festival next year,” said Dr. Gates. “In 2019, the ASC will be touring with two Shakespeare plays—The Winter’s Tale and Comedy of Errors, plus the classical Greek tragedy Antigone.”

On Friday, February 9, the Latin I class hosted their annual Gladiatorial Games. Students dressed up as various types of gladiators and faced off on the front lawn with bamboo sticks and Minecraft swords as weapons.

 

On Tuesday, January 23, the high school went on a field trip to the Myrtle Beach Art Museum. They left the school in the morning to see William H. Miller’s art exhibit, “What You See is What You Get.” The exhibit examines an artist’s struggle between two art media: digital art and acrylic painting. Mr. Miller creates abstract art to communicate complex themes and his emotions. He wants to stir a viewer’s mind. Everyone sees something different in his art, Mr. Miller said, “and everyone’s interpretation is valid.” Miller wants to remix his notions of imagery and meaning. The pictures are bold, colorful and dynamic abstractions. However, they are not complete until the viewer forms their own opinion. Avery Rose was intrigued by the art, asking him lots of questions during the tour. He expressed how no matter the medium, art is art.

Following the tour, students made their way to the museum’s upstairs studio. There, each student made their own abstract art. As there was not enough time to use acrylics, the museum provided watercolors. Since Mr. Miller revealed that he often uses words to begin a painting, students were encouraged to write something on their page and paint over it. While the students painted, Mr. Miller asked everyone to draw a shape or line on his phone – he will use them to create his next piece. When everyone had created their own artwork, students thanked the museum and Mr. Miller before piling back into the cars for the return trip. We thank Mr. Miller for sharing his art and wisdom with us, and hope we are able to return to see other wonderful exhibits at the art museum!

By Cathryn and Isabella

On January 23rd, 2018, the middle school traveled to Charleston to see a performance of The Giver at the Dock Street Theater. All of the students already had experience with the book either from previous or current English classes. “I love for students to see stuff onstage,” said Mrs. Crosby. “A lot of times when you just read a play in a book it’s not the same. I just love for them to get the exposure.” The students, three teachers, and three parents all stuffed into six cars and headed to Charleston in the morning. Before attending the hour-long play, they ate lunch at Waterfront Park, where some students had fun feeding seagulls. The play featured a dystopian future, emphasizing the importance of individuality in a bland and repetitive world. “The cast was very small, but they did a great job,” said Mrs. Morgan. After returning to Georgetown, they ate ice cream and chilled out after an eventful and long day. We always love seeing plays at the Dock Street Theater, and hope we are able to see another there soon!

By Doug

‘Tis the season! With the holidays rapidly approaching, TGS students joined in the festivities this week. To prepare for the season, the Environmental Science students decorated the hall. They assembled the Christmas tree, hung ornaments and lights, and set up speakers to ensure TGS was as festive as possible.

On Friday, December 8, the students rushed to the balcony steps as soon as lunch began for the fifth annual TGS Secret Santa. Now, at TGS, we do Secret Santa a little differently: a student does a silly dance in front of the Christmas tree before opening their present and then presenting their gift for the next student. Our gift exchange began with the middle school. The most common gift was candy, which was sure to give the kids a sugar high for their afternoon classes. When the high school took their turn, the exchange became slightly more confusing. The chain of gift-giving was interrupted several times, but that didn’t stop them. By far, blankets stole the show. “I started a trend!” Brynn crowed triumphantly, holding her new penguin blanket in the air. Other notable gifts include Margaret’s pun-filled present and Doug and Grayson’s My Little Pony figurines. This year’s Secret Santa was a resounding success. Happy Holidays, TGS!

By Isabella

TGS gathered in the hallway to celebrate its fifth annual Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday, November 21, the last school day before Thanksgiving break. Students brought their contributions to our feast before school, filling the Spanish room with all sorts of food. Yorky added a delicious, startlingly green key lime cake to the juniors’ and seniors’ heaping pile of desserts. With the absence of Dr. Razzi, Dr. Gates provided the turkeys. “There were turkeys thawing all over the place!” Madame said.

Setup began after second period with the high school scrambling to find tables while the middle school helped Mrs. Patrick make paper leaves for table decorations. Only after searching all over the school (there was a table on the balcony!) and raiding the art room were there enough seats for everyone. When we sat down, we discovered that one of the pews was broken, which lead to an experimental engineering solution. The Spanish room was then temporarily converted into a food station, with desserts along one wall, sides along another, and Dr. Gates serving turkey by the door.

Students and teachers carried plates piled high with delicious Thanksgiving foods. As we ate, we discussed the possible outcomes of a hypothetical TGS knife fight to the death, a topic introduced during British Literature earlier in the day. No conclusions were reached. When we had eaten our fill, we quickly cleaned the hallway. The disassembly wasn’t without mishaps, though: the large pot of corn fell off its perch, kernels spraying all over the floor. Arms filled with leftovers, TGS left school for what would be a wonderful Thanksgiving break.

By Isabella

On Tuesday, November 14, TGS traveled to Sumter to compete in the SCISA State Chess Competition. Avery Rose, Avi, Chris, Sydni, and Eli each played 5 games of chess, switching pools as the day progressed. The chess team is very proud of their performance, ultimately placing 15th out of 20 teams. “We did really well!” Sydni said. “I got a five-move checkmate!” Avi exclaimed. “I still can’t believe Chris got a three-move checkmate on someone, though.” Sydni played so well, she was able to sit on stage with the top players for a time, while Avery Rose managed to play in checkmate for quite some time without anyone noticing. Though we lost more games than we won, the Kingfishers thoroughly enjoyed their time at the chess competition and have high hopes for next year.

By Isabella

On Wednesday, November 8, TGS took a school-wide field trip to The Sumter Opera House for the SCISA State Drama Festival after sweeping the regionals in October. Our hosts, Lyndi Bonnette of SCISA and the drama team from Wilson Hall, welcomed the three winning middle school and the three winning high school teams to the event.
Our middle school drama team presented Robyn Hood and Her Merry Women third in the morning line-up. We soon found out that Logan had received Honorable Mention in the middle school Best Actor contest.

Lunch was Chik-Fil-A, and everyone had fun running around in the lobby, the terrace, the sidewalk and the side area as the temperature outside began to drop precipitously. Nick built a sculpture with super glue.

Again, after lunch, the high school was third in the line-up with French Toast. We watched anxiously as Stoney, Nanette, and Nancy worked out their relations. When the curtain came down and the judges gave their judgement, Chris won Best Actor and Cathryn won Best Actress. The school rejoiced.

Our ride home was light-hearted and went by quickly, Chris’s cheek still smarting from where Naomi slapped him. “My shoe had a bigger role than I did,” joked Eli, who had thumped his show backstage for the sound effect of someone knocking at the door. We had a great time at the Drama Festival, and we would do it again, because Kingfishers are troupers!

On Halloween, the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades went to see the classic To Kill a Mockingbird onstage at the Dock Street Theater in Charleston. The theater was completely filled with students from different schools. Most people seemed excited to see this popular book performed onstage. The play showed older Scout was narrating the story and reflecting on her childhood. “I liked how they had a young actor play Scout and the way it was staged,” Jesse commented. Eli added, “It was fantastic, but the audience was disrespectful at some times. Like, the girl in front of my row was playing games and checking Instagram!” It was sad to see the number of students playing on their phones, which proved to be a distraction to others. Though not everyone liked it, overall the play was excellent, with wonderful actors who were able to portray the story very well. It was a fun trip, and we hope to return to the Dock Street Theater for future field trips!

By Naomi

An hour before the start of school on Tuesday, October 24, the high school quiz bowl team piled into the Green Machine. After sweeping the regional competition, Chris, Isabella, Avery Rose, Avi, Ryleigh, and Eli were off to Summerville to compete in the team’s third consecutive SCISA state High School Quiz Bowl competition.

Eager to win after last year’s narrow loss to Pinewood Prep, team members spent the drive in a mock quiz bowl, focusing mainly on art and literature. The girls in the front seats emerged victorious over the boys in the back seat. Confident in their preparations, the team marched into the semifinal, where they would compete against teams from John Paul II and Augusta Christian.

The semifinals were filled with more laughter than expected at an academic competition, as our team struggled with questions involving a variety of flightless birds (“Is it an emu this time?” Isabella asked the moderator, after giving that answer for three out of the four bonus questions), Shakespearean phrases (“That’s a commonly used phrase?” Chris asked incredulously), and various princes. Despite the difficulty, TGS handily won their semifinal, allowing them to compete in the finals after lunch.

The team watched nervously in the first match of the finals as Pinewood Prep lengthened their lead over Wilson Hall as they answered question after question. TGS performed similarly in the next match, beating Wilson Hall by a large margin. The last match began with bated breath – this would decide the 2017 SCISA High School Quiz Bowl champions.

The match was neck and neck. TGS began to pull ahead, making the team think they’d managed to win. Suddenly, Pinewood surged back into the lead after answering a series of questions about jelly beans, eventually winning the match by a margin of only one question. The final score was 185 to 220. “It was so close!” Chris lamented.

“Second place in state is amazing!” Avery Rose said. “I wish we could’ve won, but we did really well!” Exhausted after a long day, the team ate victory pancakes at Lil Pappy’s in Moncks Corner before driving back to the school. Congratulations to the quiz bowl team on their fantastic performance!

by Isabella